Wusanting Mud Volcano Natural Reserve Introduction
There are a total of 27 mud volcanoes in the world, and the Shenshui Agricultural, Forestry and Animal Husbandry Farm in Shenshui Village, Yanchao District, is the area with the most developed mud volcano topography in Taiwan, covering an area of 3.88 hectares. To protect this unique landscape, the Council of Agriculture declared this area as the "Wusanting Mud Volcano Natural Reserve" in 1992. The formation of the mud volcanoes is due to the movement and rupture of the Qishan Fault beneath the crust, which allows moisture to seep underground and combine with mudstone to form sludge. High-pressure gas then forces the sludge out through cracks in the surface, creating mud volcanoes. This area has three conical mud volcanoes, with the highest reaching 3.5 meters and a slope of about 50 degrees, making it a typical mud cone. Eruptions occur every few seconds, with thick sludge flowing down the cone's surface, forming tongue-like mud flows that can reach a diameter of 70 meters. There are often eruptions of sludge and gas, which can sometimes be ignited or burn spontaneously. For educational and academic purposes, those wishing to enter the natural reserve must first fill out an application form, where they can observe the precious badland topography, mud volcanoes, and natural ecology.
